The recruiting process for Kyle Rudolph started shortly after the end of his sophomore season at Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound tight end quickly emerged as one of the Buckeye state's top prospects. As a result, he picked up several early scholarship offers from the likes of Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia and Miami.

He made several unofficial visits to help narrow his list to just a handful of schools before making his decision on Monday to attend Notre Dame.

"I got an early start on the recruiting process so it's been six or seven months and I felt the people at Notre Dame - the players, coaches and students - fit the mold of people I went to school with," Rudolph said. "I went to a Catholic grade school and I'm going to a Catholic high school, so I just felt I'd fit in best at Notre Dame."